Why Can't I?
by cupcake2004
Summary: Set 6 years after Hogwarts. Katie Bell has just gone through a huge breakup with her boyfriend. Suddenly, Oliver Wood turns up and things get pretty twisted. OWKB obviously. R&R please!


**Why Can't I?**  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own, can't sue. You all know the drill...  
  
**Chapter 1: Indecent Proposal**  
  
"Goooooooooood morning Katherine! It's 6:10am and time for you to GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED FOR WORK!" my alarm clock yelled.  
"Hnnnmmmnmerghh!" I groaned and smashed my fist on it. "OW!"  
"Be careful, honey," Mark said, now awake from all of my yelling, and kissing my hand. "Better?"  
"Much," I smiled, and got out of bed and heading for my bathroom to have a shower and get ready for work.  
"Can't you stay home today?" Mark pleaded, watching me from his place on the bed.  
"No! Mr. Douglas needs me in today. I have to go out and inspect some sort of explosion that happened a few days ago," I told him over the running water.  
"Mmmm," was Mark's answer.  
Life was pretty good now, I thought as I got into the shower. I had a good job, a nice flat in London that was close to work at the Ministry and an awesome boyfriend, who was a writer for the Daily Prophet. Yep, things were pretty damn good. I hoped that things would never change.  
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me. Mark was still lying in bed when I got out of the bathroom, so I headed across the room for my closet, and quickly got dressed. Then I went back in the bathroom and put on a bit of my makeup, but not too much. Makeup wasn't my favourite thing to wear. I brushed out my shoulder length dirty blond hair, and was done.  
I tip toed to the bed and kissed Mark good-bye, grabbed a cup of coffee and apparated to the Ministry.  
It was already quite busy there, so I hurried through security, down to my level.  
"Hey Katie, how's it going?" my friend Ava asked when I came into the office, looking incredibly happy.  
"Can't complain. And you?"  
She smiled. "Neither can I. Good news."  
I stopped in my tracks and walked back to her desk and sat down. "Fill me in girl."  
"I'm getting marr-ied!" she sang happily.  
"Ohmigod, ohmigod!" I screamed and hugged her tight.  
"So Jake proposed! Why didn't you owl me?" I asked, pouting when we had settled down a bit.  
"How bout I give you the full details over lunch?" she asked.  
"Perfect. See you then," I smiled and jogged off towards my desk.  
I said hi to several people on my way there. When I sat down, Ron Weasley popped out from behind the wall, causing me to spill a considerable amount of coffee down my shirt from surprise.  
"God Ron, scare me to death!" I mumbled, using my wand to clean up the mess.  
"Sorry Kate, but I really need you to go down to see that explosion soon. All memories have been modified, but we still need you to go down and..."  
"Yes, yes Ron I know how to do my job, dear," I told him kindly. "You just go back to whatever you were doing before."  
"Okay. See you later then."  
I took one last sip of coffee and apparated to the site.

By lunch time, I was exhausted. It sounds like I didn't have to do much, but in reality, there was a lot of work to do at that site. I was so relieved when lunch came around.  
I apparated back to Ava's desk, and we agreed to go to Delia's, one of our fave restaurants in Diagon Alley.  
We ordered our lunch and while we waited, she told me the whole story.  
"Well, we were out for dinner at this new place and all of a sudden he got down on one knee! I was so shocked I could barely move! But he said to me, 'We've been dating for almost two years and you make me happier than anything I've ever known. I want you to make me happy all of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' And then he pulls out this ring and says, 'Will you marry me?' I burst out in tears and yelled yes! It was amazing!"  
"Wow, Av, that's so incredible! You are so lucky! And Jake is going to be an awesome husband, I'm sure of it," I assured her as our food came.  
"So...when are you and Mark going to tie the knot?" Ava asked, her eyes sparkling.  
"Don't be so hasty! We've only been dating for a year!" I laughed.  
"I think he might be ready soon," Ava confided.  
"Do you think he's going to propose?!" I exclaimed.  
"You never know. I didn't think Jake was going to, but here I am!" she told me, wiggling her ring finger.  
I bit my lip. What if he did? What would I say? Well, naturally yes, but... I'll think of it when the time comes.

"Mark, dear I'm home!" I called as I apparated into the front doorway of the flat. "Mark?"  
I strolled into the kitchen and a barn owl flew through my open window and dropped a letter on my head. I opened it up.  
  
_ Dear Katie, _

_ I've had to go out for the afternoon. How about I drop by for dinner? The Daily Prophet just called, they want me to do another interview...Love you much, Mark._  
  
Mark seemed to be doing a lot of interviews lately. But that is good. I can't complain about it. No point, really.  
It was about 5 so I fixed myself some supper and sat down to watch some TV.  
Mark finally came by at around six. He said hi to me, grabbed something to heat up out of the fridge and sat down on the couch next to me.  
"Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow?" he asked.  
Wait. Then it hit me. What if he had been gone to buy a ring this afternoon? That's where he went! He wasn't doing an interview! And he was going to propose tomorrow night! Ohmigod! Ohmigod!  
"Kate? Katie?" Mark was waving his hands in front of my face.  
"Er, yes, yes I do want to go out for dinner," I replied happily.  
"Good. I'll, uh, drop by your, um, office at five then."  
We watched TV for a few more hours then he left and I went to bed, me thinking mostly of how he was going to propose to me.

When I got to Av's desk the next morning I was in a great mood. Nothing could spoil it.  
"Guess what?" I asked her.  
"What?"  
"Mark's going to propose! All signs point to 'WILL YOU MARRY ME KATIE BELL?'" I raved.  
"No kidding! I told you! So, how do you know?"  
"You can just tell! It's so obvious!" I said quickly. The truth was, I didn't know that he was going to for sure, but what else could it be? Like really. That had to be it.  
"Well, don't get your hopes up," Ava replied, looking worried. "Want to do lunch?"  
"You got it! My treat," I smiled and skipped to my desk. Yes, skipped. The morning seemed to snail by. At noon I dropped by Ava's desk and we agreed to go to Delia's again.  
"So, what do you think you're gonna say, if he does ask you?" Av asked me between bites of her veggie burger.  
"Well, yes obviously," I said rolling my eyes. "Why?"  
"I dunno. You just seem like you don't want to think about saying yes or no. Just the fact that he is asking you. Do you really love him, Kate?"  
What kind of drugs was she taking? I shook my head. "Of course I do! He's nice, funny, smart, athletic, everything that I want in a guy. Not to mention incredibly good-looking," I smiled.  
Ava nodded in agreement. "He is handsome."  
I giggled to myself. Who would have thought that I, Katherine Sarah Bell, would be so happy and successful? Not me, that's for damn sure. Mark apparated into my office at five, just like he promised.  
"Hey Katie, how was work?" he asked, sitting down at the chair in front of the desk, staring at me with his intense blue-green eyes.  
"Nothing! Ava and I went out for lunch today but that's it," I replied.  
"Well are you ready to go out then?" he asked. He seemed a little nervous, and avoiding my eyes. Hee hee! This has to be a sign that he's proposing!  
"Yes, yes let's go," I told him happily.  
"We're going to Sorentino's alright? Meet you there," Mark said apparating to the restaurant.  
I let out a small squeal and practiced deep breathing for a few seconds. Then I apparated to the restaurant.  
We didn't have long to wait for our table, for it was surprisingly not that busy. We sat down, and got some appetizers. I choked on my wine a few times, but other than that I was fairly calm. Well not really. But I wasn't completely freaking out. Which is good.  
By the time our food came, I was getting quite panicky. I barely finished my dinner.  
When Mark finally finished picking over his crab (which seemed to take absolutely forever) I was about to pee myself from nervousness. Then at last, he sighed and set his fork down.  
"Katie..." he began, reaching across the table and grabbing my hands. _Oh god, don't start falling apart now woman! You've made it this far, don't freak now!_ "Katie, you are an amazing girl. You are very pretty and real smart, and I think that we have both matured in the time that we have been dating. I think that both of us are coming to another point in our lives.  
"This is why I wanted us to go out for dinner tonight. I don't want you to be upset about this. I think you should be happy..."  
What the hell was he talking about? Why would I be upset about him proposing? So I just stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say.  
"Kate, what I'm trying to say is...er...well...I don't know if... if...we should see each other anymore..."  
What? Did I miss something?  
"Kate, I'm sorry."  
"What are you talking about? Stop fooling around, Mark Johnson!" I laughed.  
"I'm serious, Katie. I don't think that we should date anymore. We are just so different. And there's another thing too... I've kind of met another girl...she works at my office...she's right there, closer to my age...I'm sorry..."  
He's trying to talk to me. I know it.  
"You're-you're breaking up with me?" I asked shaking. No, this can't be right. "I thought- you were going to propose!"  
"Well, I'm not. I'm sorry Katie. I didn't think..."  
"No, you didn't!" I yelled. I grabbed my purse and ran out of the restaurant, tears streaming down my face. I ran into an empty alley way and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. This is where I would come when something bad happened.  
"Heya Katie. What'll it be?" asked the barkeeper, Dean Thomas.  
"Pint of Butterbeer. Hard," I replied, tears still streaming down my face. How did this happen to me?  
I gulped down my Butterbeer in one gulp, just as I heard the door of the tavern open and slam shut. A tall guy with brown hair sat down on the stool next to me. "Pint of redcurrant rum please..." he mumbled in a Scottish accent. He would have been very good looking if I hadn't been bawling my eyes out (silently).  
He suddenly turned to me and I blinked the tears out of my eyes. He looks so familiar...  
"Katie? Is that you?!" he asked. Oh god. Is he who I think he is?  
"Oliver?" I asked disbelieving.  
"Oh my god! I can't believe this! It's actually you!" he yelled and scooped me up in a big hug.  
"It's wonderful to see you!" I smiled through my tears at him.  
"Something wrong?" he asked, looking worried, and letting me go.  
"Oh, it's nothing...just a bad break-up..." I mumbled, looking at the floor.  
"You too? I just had to break up with my girlfriend, because she was seeing some other jerk behind my back. Some bloody bastard named Mark..."  
We spent the remainder of the night having a few drinks together and catching up. I learned that he was still playing for Puddlemere United, still one of the best Keepers in the league.  
It was past midnight when I asked Dean what time it was, so I figured that I should get going home, for I had work in the morning. Oliver agreed, and we both stood up  
"Owl me, maybe we can hang out again," I said hugging him goodbye.  
"I'd like that. How bout I owl you this week and we can go for dinner?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.  
"Sounds good. Then we can catch up properly, when we're both sober," I laughed as I wobbled towards the fireplace (Apparating while slightly drunk isn't the smartest thing you should do).  
I waved goodbye to him and disappeared into the fireplace.

A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at a Katie/Oliver story, so be nice! LoL. So anyway, please leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks!

PS- For everyone that is wondering where the next chapter of Aragorn's Inbox is, half of it is currently still in my brain, waiting to be written, half of it is written down. I just got the idea for this story and HAD to write it down. I'm lazy. I know. Please don't eat me for it.

PPS- LOTR fans, ROTK comes out May 25th! YAY!!!!!


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